Sutton Bingham - Sat 31 Mar

After a lovely week in Cornwall with the family it was only right that I popped up to the reservoir when I got back this afternoon! Not much going on from the northern causeway with an adult Great Black-backed Gull being the only thing of note so I took a quick look down the southern arm where two pairs of Tufted Duck were noted. I then headed back to the northern corner and thought I'd check the ploughed field south of the entrance to the Fishing Lodge in the hope I might pick up a Wheatear...I didn't! What I did find though was a pair of Little Ringed Plovers!

A completely unexpected find in the middle of a muddy field, and made up for the fact I missed a fly-through Sandwich Tern which James found yesterday. Still no hirundines for me this year at Sutton Bingham, I've usually seen some by now.

Cornwall - Sat 24 Mar to Sat 31 Mar

No birding on the first Saturday of the holiday as we were travelling, but a wander around the cottage on Sunday morning produced a singing male Cirl Bunting, so a great start to the holiday. A walk around St Just in Roseland was quite productive with a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers being close in off one of the small beaches.

After lunch we took a walk down to Porthcurnick Beach where a Long-tailed Duck was present and a couple of Great Northern Divers were in the bay. I popped out late in the afternoon for a sea watch off Pendower beach which proved to be profitable with the highlight being the long-staying Pacific Diver (only my second sighting of this species). Several Black-throated Divers were also present.

A nice summer-plumaged Red-necked Grebe was added to the trip list as well as a couple of Slavonian Grebes.

Three Razorbills were also seen and a female Common Scoter was noted. Finally, five Sandwich Terns were my first for the year.
Monday saw us head to Caerhays Castle, via a stop at Lower Porthpean where I successfully twitch three Surf Scoters (a Long-tailed Duck was also present offshore).

Caerhays Castle Gardens were interesting and a singing male Siskin added a splash of colour.

A Blackcap was seen and a Chiffchaff was in song. A very striking Great Black-backed Gull was on the lake, with partial melanistic plumage is was quite a bird (it was probably the same bird seen at Hayle the previous week and in the Isles of Scilly last year). 

Later in the afternoon I popped to Ruan Lanihorne where a Whimbrel was seen with a few Curlew.
On to Tuesday and a trip across the River Fal and a visit to Trebah and Glenduggan gardens, lots of nice plants but little in the way of birds.
Wednesday started with a walk along the beach at Carne where out to see there were pretty much the same range of birds as I had seen in Gerrans Bay from Pendwoer earlier in the week. After lunch I popped back to Ruan Lanihorne where a couple of Spoonbills were seen.

A bright morning on Thursday so we took a walk to Percuil and back, eight Cirl Buntings were probably the pick, including a very fine singing male.

A few Greenshank were on the estuary.

In the afternoon I took the chance to do another sea watch off Pendower. I saw the Pacific Diver again but other than a male Common Scoter it was the same selection of divers and grebes. A Peregrine was a nice addition to the trip list though and a Stonechat was singing away.

Friday, the penultimate day of the holiday, and a walk from Pendower beach up to Melinsey Mill produced at least eight singing Chiffchaff and a Marsh Tit at the mill was a nice find. More of the same offshore in the afternoon from Porthcurnick and Portscatho.
Our final day before heading back home and whilst the packing was done I popped back to Pendower for a final sea watch and recorded my first Red-throated Diver of the year. A Fulmar was also offshore though the number of divers seemed to be less than earlier in the week. On the drive back we detoured to check out Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor where I saw a drake Lesser Scaup and a female Greater Scaup alongside a few Tufted Duck and a drake Goldeneye.
A wonderful end to a great family (non-birding!) holiday and the trip list was 90 species by the way!

Sutton Bingham - Wed 21 Mar

Not long to spend at the reservoir this afternoon and despite checking out the southern end all I could manage were two drake Wigeon and a couple of Chiffchaff...it was really quiet.
So I headed back to the northern causeway and stopped simply just to take a quick look at the few gulls and was amazed to see an Iceland Gull. Somewhat distant from the causeway it showed much better from the car park before flying back to the main reservoir and alighting on a dinghy. I managed a few photos you will be pleased to hear!

After studying the bird quite closely it seemed much paler than the one that was present late February and early March with no sign of any shadowing in the primaries (which had got me a little excited on the first gull), generally paler plumage and a more distinctly marked bill makes me think today's Iceland Gull was a second-winter whilst the earlier one was a first-winter bird. I am certain this was a different bird. So it looks like Sutton Bingham has produced two Iceland Gulls this year.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 18 Mar

With more snow arriving overnight I thought it might be worth a visit to the reservoir this afternoon, especially as James Watson had seen a couple of Sand Martins over the reservoir earlier in the day (I failed to find any during my visit).
I parked at the southern end and walked up to the car park and back. There was a lot of activity on the water's edge with at least fifteen Chiffchaff being seen, all of which were feeding on the ground or low down. My first Chiffchaff of the year at Sutton Bingham and I was not expecting to see them in snow!

There were also several Meadow Pipits (there were at least twenty on the site this afternoon) and a pair of Stonechats moving along the edge of the water as well as two Reed Buntings and I then spotted a small wader, a Dunlin! The Dunlin was extremely obliging as it fed along the margin.

I then had a walk around West Pool and flushed several Snipe, at least twenty, and then nearly trod on a Jack Snipe as it flew up from beneath my feet and headed off. Not a lot else in this area so I drove round to the Fishing Lodge where the female Hawfinch was again present having not been seen for a couple of weeks. There were also lots of Fieldfare and Redwing about and a couple more Meadow Pipits. The flock of Wigeon were resting on the dam, staying out of the wind and snow.
Other birds of note this afternoon during a very productive visit included a fly-through Peregrine and a Kingfisher.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 80 species.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 14 Mar

Not a lot of time available this afternoon but a quick check of the reservoir did produce twenty eight Wigeon still, today they were at the southern end, plus single of Coot (the long-staying bird on West Pool), Raven and Snipe. Two adult Great Black-backed Gulls were also present today (a second-winter Great Black-backed Gull was seen on Monday evening). Three Mistle Thrushes were in the field south of West Pool.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 8 Mar

A flying visit on the way home from work produced the first Little Grebe of the year, a very smart bird in full summer plumage. There were loads of gulls dropping in, but I just didn't have time to check them out as I was late for dinner!
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 77 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 4 Mar

A mid-morning visit produced my first Little Egret of the year at Sutton Bingham. Not a lot else about though West Pool still hosted one drake Shoveler and a drake Tufted Duck was new in.
A return visit late afternoon produced three Lapwing in the field by West Pool and a drake Pintail off the Fishing Lodge (presumably the bird that was here on Friday and yesterday). A decent search of the woodland around the reservoir failed to locate any hoped for Woodcock and the gull roost was non-existent by the time I left just before 6pm.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 76 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 3 Mar

The snow gradually melted over the morning so I was able to get the car up to Sutton Bingham this afternoon. A quick stop at the northern causeway produced a Lapwing and on West Pool yesterday's drake Pintail was still present whilst he drake Shoveler had been joined by another bird. A single Snipe was seen and four Teal were noted.
I then headed down to the southern end of the reservoir where a total of seventy-four Teal were resting on the ice that was covering part of the reservoir. A couple of Kingfishers were seed as was a single Reed Bunting. A lone Meadow Pipit was feeding on the water's edge along with a Grey Wagtail.
Back then to the Fishing Lodge and a check of the gathering gulls. Much quieter today with an adult Mediterranean Gull proving the only bit of interest on the larid front. The Wigeon flock had increased to ninety-three individuals whilst forty Canada Geese were also present.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 2 Mar

Heavy snow and impassable roads (unless you have a 4x4...which I don't) meant that I had an hour long hike through snow carrying my 'scope to get any birding done at the reservoir today, but I did it and it was a good decision with some good birds and some really great birds!
Arriving at the northern causeway, West Pool had a few duck with the pick being a drake Pintail and a drake Shoveler.

Three Tufted Duck and eight Teal were also present along with a Coot. A couple of Snipe and a Lapwing were also noted.
I then walked round to the opposite side of the reservoir, checking the outfall stream where another Snipe and a further Teal were noted before I walked up to the dam.
Scanning across the reservoir there were already a good number of gulls gathering, but the immediate highlight was a Golden Plover that flew in and landed on the dam. Unfortunately it flew before I had a chance to get a photo. Overhead three Skylark flew through whilst on the water another pair of Teal and around thirty Wigeon were present.
Checking the gathering gulls I relocated the first-winter Iceland Gull that I had found last Sunday and a third calendar year Great Black-backed Gull was also present amongst the expected species. Apologies for this shocking photo of the Iceland Gull, but couldn't resist!

As if all that wasn't good enough a Buzzard flew over the far bank and flushed a small wader. It soon pitched down again and revealed itself to be a Sanderling, a real rarity for Sutton Bingham and a completely unexpected find.
So the long, hard walk was well worth it, though I was shattered by the time I got back home. Five new species for the patch year list though and a good bit of exercise.
Sutton Bingham year list 2018 now at 75 species.